Happy Birthday
by KatFenn
Summary: Sequel to Welcome to South Africa. Stringfellow Hawke is turning 40...and starting to feel mortal. How will this affect his status with Airwolf and the people around him? The standard disclaimers apply...
1. Chapter 1

Happy Birthday

By Kat Fenn

**Chapter 1**

Stringfellow Hawke opened his front door. A cool breeze ruffled his hair. Deciding that he would be better off with a jacket on, he ducked back inside and grabbed his battered leather jacket off its normal hook next to the door. "C'mon, Tet…how about a walk?"

Tet ran ahead of him, down the path that led to the jetty to the far side of Eagle Lake. String followed a little more carefully, aware that the sloshing in his coffee mug meant that less of the steaming hot coffee that he so sorely needed was going to end up IN his system.

Breathing the wonderfully fresh air into his lungs, he stopped to sip his coffee. Tet was nowhere in sight. Deciding that Tet could take more than adequate care of himself, String ambled along, enjoying the smell of the pine trees on the breeze, and the feeling of the warm sun on his face. He didn't feel like he was almost 40. In two days' time, in fact, he would be. It seemed like only yesterday that he was arriving at the cabin with his mum and dad, and his brother, St John, for the first time. String smiled at the memory. He was 4, St John 8, and his mother was worried about him falling in the lake. "Mom, I CAN take care of myself…I'm not a baby!" he remembered telling his mother emphatically as the helicopter his father piloted landed on the dock. And he remembered his mother saying that he would ALWAYS be her baby, and he needed to be careful around the water. And then St John replying that he would watch out for his little brother, "Don't worry, mum!"

String looked out onto the water. The ripples caused by the breeze reflected pinpoints of sunshine, reminding him of the glints in his mother's blonde hair. It had been a good 28 years since he had last seen her. He wondered what made him suddenly think of the past, and of her. He could still remember her lilies of the valley scent, and the smell of his father's aftershave. He shook his head. "_Geez, I must be getting old – I'll be reminiscing about old times next!"_ he thought to himself. Deciding that he needed more coffee, he whistled to Tet and set off back up the path to his cabin. But not before sending an "_I still love you and am thinking of you_," thought towards his mother, father and brother, out in the light somewhere.

**AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW**

Dom and Cait chattered excitedly as they loaded up the chopper. Dom had been busy cooking since yesterday. He was determined that his best friend and foster son's 40th birthday would be something to remember. He knew that he would be on his guard, scowling at anything that might even remotely resemble happiness or an attempt to celebrate. Dom still couldn't figure out, after all these years, whether String just didn't like being the centre of attraction, or if he just didn't like celebrating his birthday. "Ok, Dom, let's just make sure we got everything. Lasagne – vegetarian, of course – baked meatballs, eggplant parmagiana, salad fixings, garlic bread balls, and tiramisu. Where's the cake?" Cait looked quizzically at Dom.

"Mamma mia! Wasn't that YOUR job Cait?"

"Errr…no, I had the wine and the flowers…you were supposed to do the food," said Cait. "It's OK, Dom, don't worry, I'll pick it up on my way. I still need to go home and change, and I'll meet you back here. Just help me load up the wine and flowers – they're in my car."

Dom followed Cait out to her burgundy Toyota. Arms laden with flowers and boxes of wine, they made their way back to the chopper. Deciding that the Jet Ranger would not have enough space for everything and everyone they were transporting up to the cabin, they decided to pack up the Huey. "Mamma mia!" said Dom again, looking at his watch. "Is that the time? I need to get to LAX – Karen's flight will be in in 30 minutes! Cait, I'll see you later…" the last few words were flung over his shoulder as he scrambled to find the keys to the Jet Ranger.

Grinning to herself, Cait went to her locker to get her jacket and purse. She didn't think it would take her more than half an hour to get home, get changed and collect the cake from the bakery. Then she, Karen and Dom would fly up to the cabin. Leaving the girls to set up, Dom would then come back to the hangar, where String would HOPEFULLY just be arriving from the long list of errands that Dom set him this morning. "To keep him out of the hangar and out of our hair," she remembered Dom saying with that big chuckle of his. Gunning her motor, she pulled out of the parking lot, and set off, determined not to keep Dom waiting.

**AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW**

String drummed his fingers on the steering wheel of the open-top Santini Air jeep as he waited rather impatiently for the lights to change. "_What a day!_" he thought to himself. He must have done a million and one errands for Dom. Aside from a sandwich stop at midday and a toilet stop at some point he had been on the go all day. He looked forward to getting back to his cabin and spending some time alone with his thoughts. He had just about had it with people, in general.

He finally pulled up in front of the office entrance of Santini Air. Pulling the handbrake up and making sure the jeep was in gear, he jumped out. He took a moment to stretch and yawn, and work the kinks out of his lower back. "_Man, I am getting old_," he said to himself. He looked around. Caitlin's burgundy Toyota was still there, but as he remembered it was in a different spot from when he left this morning. Shrugging his shoulders, he then started to unload the jeep.

Three trips back and forth from the jeep and the office later, String decided that he had had enough for one day. His watch told him that it was only 4pm. Supressing a yawn, he decided that he would have a nap on the narrow cot in the back office until Cait or Dom got back, and beg a lift back to the cabin.

The next thing String knew, a firm hand was shaking him awake. "Wake up, sleeping beauty!" bellowed Dom in his ear. Startled awake, String jerked upright with an involuntary "Ow!" as a kink in his lower back made itself felt. "Good God, Dom, you're going to give me a heart attack…" grumbled String as he swung his legs off the narrow cot.

"I suppose now you'll be wanting a lift home then?" said Dom.

"Yeah, I think I've had enough for one day. I've done all the errands you asked me to, all the parts are stacked in the goods receiving pallet in the hangar, all the invoices are in the in tray in your office and the jeep keys are hanging in the key box."

"Thanks, String. OK, let me go and wash up and I'll take you home."

**AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW**

Dom snuck a quick look at String. Arms folded across his chest, String was lightly dozing, giving off little snores and snuffles, in the co-pilot seat of the Jet Ranger. The only thing keeping him upright was the seatbelt. Dom grinned to himself as he thought of what lay in wait for String.

He hoped he had planned everything right. There were no other choppers – he told Michael that he would radio him from the Jet Ranger as soon as he dropped String off – Michael and Marella would then leave the Santini Air hangar and be at String's cabin in ten minutes. Dom would fly the Jet Ranger off in the direction of the Santini Air hangar for about a minute, then turn back and set down on the jetty. The two girls would hide themselves in the sleeping loft so that the initial surprise for String would be his dinner table prettily laid and the smell of food wafting from his own kitchen. And when Dom burst in through the front door, all three of them would shout "Surprise!" altogether. He just hoped that Cait and Karen had lots of alcohol ready and waiting. He thought that String might need it.

**AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW**

"Thanks for the ride, Dom. See you tomorrow, 08h00." String shut the door of the Jet Ranger firmly behind him. He frowned. Tet was normally on the dock waiting for his master, but seemed to be conspicuously absent today. He glanced quickly up the path leading to his cabin. Smoke wafted from the chimney. He was pretty sure that he had not left the fire going when he left home early that morning. It was still daylight, and as far as he could see there were no other signs of life in the cabin. Grabbing a convenient rock off the side of the path, he made his way quickly and quietly to the front door.

Opening his front door, String could not believe his eyes. His dining room table was laid for six, with flowers and candles. He could smell something delicious from his own kitchen. His living room was decorated with streamers and balloons proclaiming "Happy 40th Birthday!" He strained his ears but could not hear Tet or anyone else. As he stalked into his own kitchen to see what was smelling so good, his 'super hearing' suddenly picked up the sound of a chopper. "_No…."_he groaned to himself, "_There goes my solitary evening_!"

His front door crashed open. "Surprise!" sang out Dom. "Surprise!" squeaked two very excited voices from his sleeping loft. Pasting a smile on his face, String turned around. He couldn't possibly be ungracious, not after all the trouble his friends had gone to. String scanned the room quickly. "Thanks, Dom and Cait. This must have been all your doing. This is really nice. So who else are we expecting?"

Then, as he turned to look upstairs, "Karen? What are you doing here? I just spoke to you and you were at home in Johannesburg!" He ran up the stairs to his sleeping loft to pick Karen up and hug her close. He had first met Karen a year ago, when he gave a talk at the South African Military History Society and they had been dating, long-distance, since then. She giggled as he tried to swing her around, and almost succeeded at sending the both of them tumbling down the stairs. Cait grabbed the pair of them just as they were about to go headlong. They all dissolved into hysterical laughter as Michael and Marella walked through the door.

Dom suggested, wiping the tears from his cheeks, that String and Karen take a walk while they put the finishing touches on dinner. "Don't worry, String, I made your favourites. Go and catch up with Karen for a bit, we'll see you in about 20 minutes."

Not needing a second telling, String made sure Karen had a wrap with her and practically pulled her out the front door. Shutting the door behind him, he put his left arm around her waist, pulling her towards him, while his right hand tilted her chin up towards him so he could kiss her. "Hello, stranger," he said huskily, breathing in her scent. "Mmmmm…" was all Karen said as she melted into his embrace. Her lips eagerly sought his as her arms tightened around his back. Their tongues tangled deliciously for a few short moments. "Surprise," whispered Karen, against his mouth. String promptly forgot about his solitary evening.

**AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW**

String settled Karen on the edge of the jetty and sat down next to her, as close as he could get. He had missed her terribly. She had come out to LA to see him, about four months after he had left Johannesburg, and stayed for two months. She had then gone back to Johannesburg, and the letters had flown back and forth every week or so, and it had been about six months since they had seen each other. String had even got as far as getting a satellite phone permanently installed at the cabin so that they could chat, once a week. And he had still missed her. For weeks after she had left, he still found himself turning around to tell her something, and then realise that she wasn't there.

"Oh, goodness, I think we need to be going back, String, otherwise they'll be sending out smoke signals for us!" exclaimed Karen, looking at her watch.

Giving her yet another lingering kiss, String reluctantly agreed. "Oh but I am looking forward to the end of my surprise birthday party too…that's when I get you all to myself."

Karen slapped him on his behind as she grinned at him. "Last one up there is a rotten egg!" and raced away up the path, making the most of the head start, as String, shocked, was unable to move for a good few seconds.

**AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW**

The party was going well. Dinner had been consumed and cleared away, all but two bottles of wine had been drunk, and String had just blown out the candles on his birthday cake. "Well, I'm not 40 till the day after tomorrow, everyone…so no 'old' jokes yet please," he said, unable to keep a grin off his face. What else could a man want – the people he loved all around him, celebrating his birthday?

Once the cake had been disposed of, Michael had asked String to take a walk with him. "_Here we go, Michael wants something_," thought String to himself. Shrugging his jacket back on, he followed Michael down the path towards where his white helicopter was parked. Dom, Marella, Cait and Karen were busy clearing plates away and tidying up. Dom saw String leaving with Michael and thought the same thing. "_Hope Mr Clean doesn't want us to leave right away_," grumbled Dom to himself.

**AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW**

"So what's up, Michael? I imagine you're not asking me to walk with you just to give me my birthday present, are you?" said String, trying hard not to scowl.

"Sorry, Hawke, I do have an assignment for you but I thought it best to wait until your party was done. Cait and Dom would have killed me otherwise."

Shrugging his shoulders as if to say "No big deal," String accepted the thick folder from Michael. Listening intently as Michael outlined the mission, he heard a twig snap in the distance. "What was that?!" said String sharply, turning to face the direction which he thought the noise had come. In answer, Michael drew his pistol. The two men made their way down the path towards the noise. As they neared the choppers, String's super-sensitive ears caught the sound of sparking coming from Michael's chopper. The next thing they knew, an explosion sounded in their ears. Both men looked up to see flames bursting from the tail rotor of Michael's chopper.

**AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW**

Dom, closely followed by Cait, Marella and Karen burst out of the front door of the cabin. "String! Michael! Are you OK?" yelled Dom, as he saw the flames coming from Michael's chopper. He saw a figure climbing into the Jet Ranger and powering up the rotors, he supposed in an attempt to make sure that his chopper did not go up in flames as well. He saw another figure turn a fire extinguisher on the fire. Scrambling as best he could down the path in the darkness, Dom saw all three girls overtake him.

As he finally arrived on the spot, he found Marella scrabbling frantically to catch papers and a document folder which were flying away in the stiff breeze. Cait and Karen were by Michael's chopper, checking to see that all the flames were out. Michael had dropped the fire extinguisher and was in the cockpit, making sure all the fuel switches were off. "Where's String?" said Dom, as he reached Michael. "He's gone to move the Jet Ranger to the clearing behind the house, Dom, he'll be back in a few minutes."

True enough, String's familiar figure came stalking out of the dark to the little group a few minutes later. "Ok guys, party's over. Let's go up to the cabin, in the light, and we can go over this and try and figure this out. C'mon," said String, leading the way up the path.

**AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW**


	2. Chapter 2

Happy Birthday

By Kat Fenn

**Chapter 2**

Michael took his glasses off and rubbed his eye. He had been sitting at his desk for what seemed to be hours – in reality, it had just been an hour. As was his usual custom, he had arrived at 07h30 to find Marella already ensconced at her desk. He had greeted her and gone straight to his desk, and she had arrived precisely 47 seconds later, with a steaming hot filter coffee in hand, and a folder under her arm, with a list of appointments and to-dos for the day.

He had listened to her with half an ear, still thinking about the incidents of the previous night. They had been unable to get his chopper in the air, so Dom and Cait had dropped them off at Knightsbridge before flying back to Santini Air. He had gone straight home and poured himself a long gin and tonic, before having a long, hot shower and falling into bed. Where he had been unable to sleep, tossing and turning till dawn, thinking about who or what would target his chopper. Of course, no one other than himself or Marella had known about the plans for String's birthday party. Or did they? He didn't normally fly in his chopper at the time the explosion had gone off – Marella or his staff duty driver normally dropped him off at home in his limo. So why his chopper – and at that time? The facts, sights, sounds and questions swirled in his brain, until he fell into a restless sleep.

Michael was jolted back into the present. Marella was standing at his right elbow, a folder in her outstretched hand. "Sir, are you alright? Can I get you anything? Something to eat or drink, maybe?"

"Yes, Marella, something breakfast-y and some more coffee, perhaps."

"Right away, sir. I think you'd want to look at this in the meantime. It's the preliminary forensic report on our chopper."

"Thank you, Marella." Michael flipped the folder open and started to read the single page that it held. It didn't tell him very much, other than a plastique explosive had been pushed in with a simple timed detonator. They had managed to lift a partial print off the remnants of the detonator, but still no match on the prints with any of their databases.

Taking a deep breath, Michael then turned his attention to the to-do list for today. It was surprisingly short, considering his usual workload. The first item on the list was to complete the briefing for the Airwolf mission. Remembering that the folder which he tried to give Hawke the night before was now sitting on his desk, he pressed the intercom and asked Marella if she could get Hawke and Dom to his office ASAP.

**AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW**

The intercom on his desk buzzed. "Mr Hawke and Mr Santini are here, sir."

Michael quickly put the classified material not pertaining to this particular briefing away. Always mindful of his obligations as the Deputy Director of the FIRM, he knew that, while Hawke and Santini were to be trusted implicitly, he could not be irresponsible when it came to other people's secrets.

"Send them in, please, Marella."

"So, Archangel, what gives? Have you figured out what our little fireworks display last night was all about yet?" Stringfellow Hawke, as usual, was direct and to the point.

"Hawke, aside from telling me what explosive and type of detonator the perpetrator used, and a partial print that they haven't identified yet on the detonator, I know nothing else. I'm still wondering why the chopper, and why at that time – I don't usually use the chopper at that time and no one knew about your surprise party other than me and Marella. It just doesn't make sense!"

Dom broke in. "Well, at least no one was hurt – not even the folder!"

"Sorry if I don't find that too funny, Dominic," said Michael, busying himself with putting copies of the folder out for both String and Dom, trying hard not to mimic String's scowl.

"Down to business, gentlemen. As you can see there's a map with marked coordinates – there's a disc in there for you, Dom, to load into the Airwolf computer. That's the list of five possibilities – where our contact could be held in Chicago. He was a mole in the Chicago Mob and we were trying to take down the boss, and nail him on both corruption charges, as well as tax evasion. Well, yesterday, he failed to check in on the correct channel at the correct time. Now as you know, as per standard protocol, after 48 hours, he will be declared 'off the grid' and will no longer exist at the FIRM. Zebra Squad will then be sent out to neutralise him. However, I can't afford to lose him. He's one of my best computer programmers with a great head for running statistics, permutations and scenarios. Marella was mentoring him and we have great hopes for him." finished Michael.

"So basically we go in with the Lady, find the guy and get him back here – and we have about 22 hours to do it in?" said String.

"Yes, Hawke, that's basically it. We need Airwolf's scanners – she does the quickest scans in the business, and with five locations to check out in the limited time we have…" Michael trailed off. "Will you accept the assignment?"

String looked at Dom, who nodded at him. "Alright, Michael. We'll be taking off within the hour. I just need to sort out Karen and Cait, and we'll go."

As they walked out of Michael's office side by side, String turned to Dom. "So what do I do about Karen?"

"String, I think the best way is to get Karen to stay with Cait for a bit. Maybe send them on a shopping trip or something – it's only for a day or so? I'm assuming, of course, that Karen doesn't know anything about the Lady?"

String quirked his eyebrow and gave Dom one of his glares. "No, I haven't told Karen about the Lady. I didn't think it was important! But I think sending Karen and Cait off somewhere for the day is a brilliant idea."

The two men made their way quickly to the Jet Ranger that had brought them to Knightsbridge. String remained quiet for the rest of the journey back to Santini Air, wondering how Karen would react to his suggestion. And how Cait would feel, being left out of this latest mission. "_Women!_" thought String to himself.

**AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW**

Dom landed the Jet Ranger gracefully in front of the hangar entrance. Cait came out to meet them, as usual. "So what did Michael want, guys?"

"Errrr, Cait, is Karen anywhere about? This is classified." said String, glancing around to see if he could spot Karen.

"No, she was busy on the phone – she asked for some work to do so I've got her trying to sort out our errant fuel bill – there seems to be some double invoicing somewhere – it's twice the amount it normally is," said Cait. "Let's talk out here."

String and Dom quickly outlined the mission brief. However when they got to the part where Cait would be sent on a shopping trip with Karen, String faltered. Cait was clearly unhappy with her role in this particular mission. "Oh come on, guys, can't someone else stay with her?"

"Sorry, Cait, I think it's the most plausible if the two girls go on an overnight shopping trip together. Otherwise it will have to be me taking Karen and…well, in terms of combat I think I have more experience," said String, almost apologetically.

"Fine, fine, I suppose it is for the best – but you guys OWE me big," snorted Cait. However she had to admit that taking a paid overnight shopping trip in Karen's company didn't sound too much like a bad idea. She just hoped that she wouldn't have to lie TOO much to Karen. She was pretty sure that Karen was in the dark about String's involvement with the FIRM and Airwolf, and she didn't want to slip up and make things difficult for String, much as she liked Karen.

**AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW**

String stuck his head round the door of the back office. Karen was on the phone, scribbling away furiously, while murmuring assent to whoever was on the other end of the line. After a moment or two, she said "Thank you again for your help, Bill – so I can ask Dom to make the payment less the three double invoices. Goodbye!"

Putting the receiver down, Karen looked up and saw String in the doorway. "Hello, String! You're back!" She got up to give him a kiss.

String pulled back from the kiss. "Karen, I'm sorry, but I've got to go away on business for a day or so. Dom needs me with him. I've arranged for you and Cait to go on an overnight shopping trip to LA while we're away. I hope that's OK with you…"his voice trailed away. His steel blue eyes searched Karen's dark ones for any signs of what she might be feeling.

Karen jerked away from him. "Seriously, String? This business can't wait? It's your 40th birthday tomorrow! And I, well…I was planning all sorts of things to surprise you with. Not that that really matters, but I thought that we would spend that together." String could see that she was irritated and upset. And he knew that she had made a special trip to be with him (without telling him) for his 40th birthday. He felt really bad about it, but what else could he say without giving away any more information about his mission or Airwolf?

"I'm so, so sorry, Karen. I'll make it up to you, I promise. This won't take more than a day or two, and I'm sure you girls will have lots of fun while we're away doing boring old work." String's eyes pleaded with her to take what he was saying at face value and leave it at that.

Karen sighed deeply. "Oh, alright, String, if this is the way it has to be then this is the way it has to be. I'm sure Cait and I will be fine while you and Dom are gone. I'll just have to delay my plans for a day or two…and you better act surprised, buster! Don't think I haven't noticed that every time someone mentions your birthday that you're hiding a scowl."

String grinned as he pulled her close, glad that he had gotten off so lightly. He made a mental note to get hold of Cait alone and warn her again about not saying anything to Karen about the FIRM or Airwolf. Not only did he not want her to worry, he didn't want to have to worry about her being used against him after YET ANOTHER person wanted to get their hands on Airwolf.

**AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW**


	3. Chapter 3

Happy Birthday

By Kat Fenn

**Chapter 3 **

"Ready to go, Dom?"

"Ready, String!"

String pulled back on the collective and Airwolf made her way up the narrow chimney into the expanse of blue sky above it. He hoped that they would find the guy soon, complete the mission and then come back home. All in one piece. "_Alright, that's enough_," giving himself a mental shake. "_Focus on the mission, hotshot_." "Alright, Dom, give me turbos."

"Turbos!" said Dom a moment later.

**AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW**

Cait hummed along to the music on the stereo. They were on their way to LA. Both of them had shared a companionable silence of sorts; aside from humming along to songs and occasionally singing along to the chorus, they had passed the last hour or so without saying much to each other.

Stopping at a traffic light, Cait turned to look at Karen. "Hey, Karen, you OK? You're very quiet – for you."

"I don't know, Cait. I'm not sure how I feel at the moment. You know I enjoy your company, and going on a girls' shopping trip is definitely something I wanted to do. It's just…String was acting so strangely, and I get the feeling he didn't exactly tell me where he and Dom were going…but I wondered whether he did that because he didn't want me to ask? I dunno, it sounds so stupid," finished Karen. She didn't want Cait to think that she was some fluffy airhead that couldn't trust String. But something nagged at her, something she couldn't put her finger on.

"Karen, we both know String. We know what he's like. I'm sure, if he IS doing something that he doesn't want to tell you about, that he has a good reason for doing it." Cait focussed her eyes back on the road, hoping that Karen wouldn't recognise that as a half-truth. She knew exactly where the guys were, and what they were doing, but String had told her not to tell Karen. She also knew, as a woman, what Karen was feeling. "Alright, alright, that's enough wondering for one day, Karen. Let's look for a motel to stay in tonight, then we hit the shops. I vote we start with Bloomingdales, what do you say? I promise we'll talk some more tonight, but for now I need to concentrate – we're just pulling into LA now." Cait gave Karen a matey grin and hoped that that would be the end of it…for a while.

**AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW**

"Four down, one to go."

"Thank goodness, Dom, we've been flying for six hours and it seems to be days!"

"Want me to take over, String? Then you can rest for a bit."

"No thanks, Dom, if this last location is really it, we could be heading for trouble. What's our ETA?"

"Under 5 minutes, String. I'll be turning the scanners on in about three minutes and I'll give you a countdown for that. I'm putting her in stealth mode for now."

"Rodger, Dom. Keep me posted." String took his right hand off the cyclic and flexed his fingers. He then did the same with his left hand. He dared not take his feet off the rudder pedals to do the same, but he shifted in his seat, trying to surreptitiously stretch the muscles of his back, then shook out his legs. Finishing with stretching his neck and shoulders, he refocused his attention on the instruments in front of him. He couldn't remember being this stiff – on some Airwolf missions he, Dom and Cait often flew for hours on end, strapped into their seats. "_Don't tell me it's because I'm getting old_," he worried to himself.

"20 seconds to scanner activation, String," said Dom, breaking into String's train of thought.

Gripping the cyclic, String set his jaw, determined not to let his aches and pains, real or imagined, get in the way of them completing their mission.

**AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW**

The two girls were sitting in their motel room, cross-legged on their beds, sipping toothmugs of a concoction they dubbed 'Girls Motor Oil'. They had had a rather fulfilling day. Although they hadn't shopped to their hearts' content yet, there were quite a few shopping bags strewn across the room, contents disgorged onto the owner's bed as they modelled their purchases for each other. They had just had a lovely steak and lobster dinner, complete with wine, and enjoyed some good live music that accompanied their dinner.

"Cait, thank you for such a wonderful day. I feel that we're almost sisters and I can tell you anything."

"_Uh oh_," groaned Cait to herself. "_Now that I'm more than a little tipsy, I'm going to have to be MORE careful with what I say." _

To her surprise, Karen didn't discuss String or Dom at all, other than asking Cait if she thought they were OK. To which Cait had responded that of course they were fine, she was sure they were in bed already asleep (crossing her fingers under the quilt as she did so). Karen had then asked about Cait's life before she came to California, about what it was like in Texas, flying for the highway patrol, and growing up on the ranch. Cait eagerly responded with questions of her own, about Karen's life in Johannesburg, and her parents, and what the political situation was. Eventually, Cait drained her toothmug and got up to brush her teeth. "Karen, I think we'd both better try and get some sleep. It's 3am!"

"Is that really the time, Cait? That sounds like a good idea…"

**AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW**

String pushed the collective down, hovering Airwolf about a foot off the ground. The scanners had detected that their contact might be one of the group of people in the abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of town – a group of figures surrounding a single, sitting figure sure looked like a bunch of criminals guarding a prisoner. Weapons were in combat mode. Taking a deep breath, String depressed the trigger with his index finger, releasing a hail of bullets in the general direction of the back entrance of the warehouse. Following this up with a Maverick missile, a hole suddenly appeared in the back door. Making sure the landing gear was down for just in case, String nodded at Dom and drew his silver pistol. Dom took the controls as the hiss of the pressurised door told him that String had taken off, running.

**AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW**

"We're coming, Dom. Heading straight for you. Hold fire!" crackled the radio in Dom's helmet. Immediately Dom took his index finger and thumb away from the trigger and firing stud. Seconds later, String came into sight, arms pumping, with someone hot on his heels. Dom hoped that that was the man they were here to find. Swinging Airwolf to the left, he depressed the trigger again to lay down covering fire so that String and their quarry could slide into Airwolf on the pilot's side. Suddenly, he saw String stumble and almost fall. The figure behind him also stumbled. Dom pushed the collective down, bringing Airwolf down to the ground with a bump, and popped his own door open. He drew his pistol and squeezed off a few shots as he ran towards the pair of them. By the time he reached them, String had got to his feet and had turned around to help the other man. Dom ran round to the other side of the man and tried to hurry him along into Airwolf. String had been either injured or shot, Dom couldn't tell in the darkness; he was stumbling along, still firing in the general direction of the back door of the warehouse. "Get her up in the air!" shouted Dom to String. After what seemed to be a lifetime, String reached the pilot door. It took him two attempts to get his entire body into the pilot seat. Dom tried to hurry. The other man seemed to have recovered – they both arrived at the co-pilot door at the same time. As he pushed the other man into Airwolf, Dom felt a tug on his leg. Two dark figures clawed at him, hanging on to his legs, making it virtually impossible for him to get in. "Go, go, go!" screamed Dom, slamming the co-pilot door shut. String reacted instantly, pulling back on the collective, and watching in horror as the figure of Dom became smaller and smaller as he pulled away, held motionless by the two figures on top of him.

**AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW**


	4. Chapter 4

Happy Birthday

By Kat Fenn

**Chapter 4**

"Michael? This is Airwolf. This is an emergency, come in!" screamed String into the radio, as soon as he managed to jam his helmet onto his head.

"Hawke, is that you? This is Archangel. What's wrong?"

Choking back his emotions, String felt himself growing numb. "Michael, I've got your operative here, with me in Airwolf, but I had to leave Dom behind. Where can you meet me to pick this guy up – I gotta go back for Dom as soon as I can."

"Hawke, I read you, I'm sure you need fuel as well. I'm not even going to try to talk you out of going back for Dom. I'm going to send Zebra Squad out, if you give me the location, and I'll send Marella out to you to collect our guy. Let me also make arrangements for refuelling the lady, and I'll come back to you."

Feeling a little better now he had a plan, String turned to ask Dom to check on where the nearest open airfield was. Only to realise that Dom wasn't there. "Errr…Michael, I can't get to the Engineer's Console from here. Can you…"

"I can help!"piped up a voice from the co-pilot seat. String took one swift glance to his left. Realising that he had little choice, he motioned to Michael's operative – to take up Dom's seat at the Engineering Console, and put Dom's helmet on his head so that they could communicate.

"Did you say you wanted to find an open airfield that you can refuel at?"

"Yeah," growled String, "As quickly as possible."

Within a matter of seconds, String heard Michael's operative's voice in his helmet. "Sir? OK, I have an airfield within 10 miles of here, I've transmitted the coordinates to your console. Anything else I can do?"

"Gimme turbos – that's the big lever on the top left hand corner of your console. At 100%."

"Turbos engaged!"

String depressed the turbo control button on the cyclic with his right thumb, and jabbed at the radio communications button with his left index finger to open communications. Trying hard to concentrate through the sudden haze that suddenly enveloped him, String heard himself give the coordinates of the airfield to Marella and Michael, and the coordinates of the last known location of Dom. He heard Michael responding, and telling him that Marella would be at the airfield to pick up their operative, and that Zebra Squad was already enroute to Chicago in a plane. So as soon as String had refuelled, he could take off again and go after Dom. Looking down at his controls, he realised that his flight suit was not the pristine grey it was when he got into Airwolf earlier on that day. It was slowly turning blood red.

"Hey…whatever your name is. Grab a first aid kit from the compartment underneath the left side of your console. I do need some other help."

**AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW**

Karen lay awake in bed. Cait had turned the lights off and wished her goodnight, and she had tried to go to sleep, but her mind was still ticking over. Shutting her eyes, she tried to relax her mind so that she could go to sleep, but…sleep seemed to elude her.

Turning on her side, her thoughts turned to String. More specifically, about her and String. About the relationship they had. They hadn't exactly discussed their relationship, but she really did miss him when she wasn't with him. And she was sure that he felt the same. He had said, more than once, that when she wasn't with him he found himself turning to share something with her, or to say something to her, only to find that she wasn't there. She wasn't sure how busy his normal workday was, as the last time she came and spent two months with him, Dom had given him a 'semi-vacation' as he put it, when String only went into the hangar two or three days a week. And was usually done by 3 in the afternoon, so they could still fit in a walk around town, a movie or dinner, before it got too dark. However she did tend to leave him alone while he was working, preferring to help Dom out with paperwork and fielding phone calls. She wondered if he was truly happy living the life he was, as he seemed to be the sort of person who enjoyed his own company; but could that be why he had melancholic, brooding moods sometimes? Karen knew that she was the sort of person that enjoyed the company of others, and, although she did not mind her own company, it was often not her first choice. "_Would String like having me around all the time_?" she thought to herself. "_I suppose that's the next logical question_." She knew how she felt about him – there were definite sparks and sizzles between them, and there was nothing amiss with the physical aspect of their love life, but she worried about how she would fit into his life, and him into hers. After all, he was 40 – had been a bachelor all his life, used to living by himself with little consideration for someone else – and she, at 34, had also been used to living her own life. And what about her career? Well, she supposed she could always open a ballet school in town, or offer to go into a partnership with any teachers or studios in the area. And she could always find secretarial work at any of the other hangars at the Van Nuys airport, she supposed. From what Dom had told her his friends were always looking for someone who knew their way around paperwork.

The cabin bothered her a little. She wasn't sure how she could live out in the middle of nowhere, with no one about and dependent on a helicopter or boat to get to town. "_Well, I suppose I'll either have to learn to fly a helicopter….or get my own speedboat!"_ Karen suddenly caught herself. "_Hang on, that sounds like I CAN live at the cabin. And why? Because I want to be around String. I think I love him_." Karen grinned to herself. So she had found a way to keep her independence and still be with String. If he wanted to be with her, that was. Although his evasiveness still bothered her, she thought that she would come straight out and ask him when they were alone together. And his response would tell her exactly how he thought of her and their future together, if there was one. Relieved that she had settled that in her mind, she gave in to sleep.

**AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW**

Somerton (as it turned out the operative's name was) knelt as close as he could to String. It was virtually impossible to move around while turbos were engaged, but now that String had landed it was just difficult, not impossible. He passed String a thick gauze pad, and told him to keep pressure on the wound on his right thigh, until he could get out of Airwolf and come around to look more closely. He fumbled with the co-pilot's door release until String, rather wearily, told him to where to find the release lever. With a satisfying hiss, the door slid open and Somerton took off at a run around the Lady's nose and popped String's door open.

Somerton proved to be quite handy with a first aid kit. Taking a quick look at the wound, he realised that the bleeding, while copious, was not life-threatening as the blood was not pumping out, as it would if an artery had been torn by a bullet, rather it was a slow seep. Pulling a syringe and a vial of morphine out of the first aid kit, he quickly explained to String that he would have to kill some of the pain so that he could probe around and really assess the damage that the bullet had done to his thigh. Nodding quickly, String laid his head on his headrest and tried to relax. He found his thoughts drifting to Karen – he wondered if she was alright, and if she was still upset with him, and how attractive she was.

"Sir? Sir?!" said a voice in his right ear. String jerked upright, barely suppressing an "Ow!" as he jogged the wound in his leg. "Call me Hawke," he said.

"OK, Hawke, I've managed to get the bullet out, and cauterised the wound – luckily it wasn't too deep – with peroxide. It'll still seep for a while, but you're not losing large amounts of blood. I've bandaged it tightly, to try and slow blood loss, but the wound is seeping. I'm not sure how long you'll have before you black out from shock. How do you feel?"

"I'm OK. Just a little tired, that's all." String flexed his thigh experimentally. It didn't feel too bad, and the pressure bandage that Somerton put on felt reasonably tight. "Can you see if they've finished refuelling me – I got to go back for my partner." Somerton went off in search of the refuelling technician to confirm that Airwolf was, in fact, ready to go. He trotted back to String as soon as he received confirmation. Before closing the pilot door, he left String with another pressure bandage which he tucked into the tiny overhead compartment, for just in case.

String pressed the engine start buttons, and heard the familiar whine of rotors. As soon as his instruments told him that he had enough speed for liftoff, he pulled back on the collective and lifted Airwolf into the air.

**AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW**


	5. Chapter 5

Happy Birthday

By Kat Fenn

**Chapter 5**

String fought to keep his wits sharp as he took his thumb off the turbo button. He grabbed the other pressure bandage from the overhead compartment and slapped it on over Somerton's neat bandage.

Dialing into the correct frequency, he activated the radio communications button. "Zebra Leader, come in, this is Airwolf."

"Airwolf, this is Zebra Leader. We are in position, awaiting your signal."

"On my mark, Zebra Leader." Checking that combat mode was indeed engaged, String took a deep breath and shook his head to clear it. His leg was starting to throb. "Mark!"

**AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW**

The firefight was over. Zebra Squad had stormed the warehouse and managed to release Dom from his captors. String was relieved to hear that Dom sustained no injuries, and was clamouring to talk to him. "String? You OK?" said Dom, the concern in his voice clearly apparent even in the crackle of radio waves.

"Dom? Yeah, I'm kinda OK. I'm a little banged up, but I'm still standing…well almost. I'm coming to pick you up."

Quickly scanning the area, String decided that the best place to set down would be where they were before, by the back door of the warehouse. Flipping the switch for the landing gear, he slowly pushed the collective lever, until he could feel Airwolf settle down on the ground.

He heard the co-pilot door pop open as he took his helmet off.

"Looking for me, kid?" said Dom, sticking his head in.

"Err…Dom, I think come and sit up front here, I may need some help."

"_Help? String's NEVER asked for help before_!" thought Dom in a panic. He scrambled in as quickly as he could, and tried to get as close to String so he could see what was going on. Standing (well, almost standing) behind the pilot's seat he caught sight of the blood-soaked bandage covering String's right thigh. "You're hurt!"

"I won't tell you that I feel pretty rotten," admitted String with a wry smile. "I am glad you're OK though. I've been fighting to keep alert, my head's been spinning a little bit. I'd feel a lot happier if you could be ready to take over though, Dom, just in case. We won't need anything fancy, now Zebra Squad is here – all we need to do is get home."

"_Mamma mia,"_ thought Dom to himself. "_Talk about a day of firsts. The first time I've heard String as for help flying, and the first time I've heard him admit that he wasn't absolutely fine_." Out loud, he said "No problem, String, I'm sure you'll be fine, but for just in case, I'm right here."

Pulling his helmet on, he buckled his restraints and sat back in the co-pilot seat as String pulled on the collective and got Airwolf in the air.

**AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW**

Dom kept a wary eye on the instruments in front of him. He had been trying to talk to String, to keep him focussed, but he realised that String hadn't said a word for the past 3 minutes or so. He turned to look at him, and from what he could see through his helmet, String was pale. His left hand gripped the collective in a white-knuckled grip. "String?" said Dom, a little louder.

"Take her, Dom!" String managed to get out, between gritted teeth. "I can't hold her any longer!"

Dom grabbed the cyclic and the collective, quickly shifting his feet to the rudder pedals, as he saw String slump forward in his seat, unconscious.

**AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW**

Michael paced up and down his office carpet. He had just received a call from Marella telling him that she was on her way back with Somerton and he was absolutely fine. He had just sent a communique out to the Committee telling them that Somerton was safe and recovered and that no termination of his services was necessary, making sure that the communique was correctly time stamped. He knew that Zeus was on the lookout for any smallest infraction on his part. Although nothing had been said about the explosion on board his helicopter, he had been sent a memo which had apparently been sent to every FIRM employee with Level 2 clearance and up which reminded them all that any damage to FIRM property whilst in use was for the employee's own account, and needed to be reported so that any erstwhile or resultant mechanical problems could be prevented. "Prevented my ass!" Michael had burst out, while Marella tried hard not to giggle. She couldn't remember the last time her boss had lost control like that.

Michael wondered if the Airwolf crew was alright. He had received an "all clear" from the Zebra Squad leader, and he had also been told that Airwolf would be picking up Dom from the scene of the carnage in Chicago. But no communication since. Something nagged at him to contact them. Sighing, Michael picked up his radio phone and dialled in the secure frequency for Airwolf. "Airwolf, this is Archangel. Come in, Airwolf."

Dom's voice crackled through the receiver. "A bit busy here, Michael. Make it quick."

"Dom? Where's String? Are you guys OK?"

"String's right here, but I think he's fainted or something. Looks like a wound of some sort to his right thigh that's bleeding through bandages. I've radioed through to Happenburg Clinic, I'll be landing there in about 5 minutes or so."

Michael could hear the adrenaline pumping through his system. "I'll meet you guys there. Archangel out." Limping over to his desk, he pressed the intercom button and asked Laura, who was standing in for Marella, to get a car ready for him as quickly as possible.

**AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW**

Karen yawned and stretched. A shaft of sunlight had filtered through the curtains, waking her. Cait emerged from the bathroom, still in her pink pajamas. "Morning, sleepyhead!" she said cheerfully.

Karen grinned a matey grin back at Cait. "So what we up to today, pard-ner?" deliberately dropping into a faux Texan drawl.

"Well, the boys are due back today, so I thought we'd have a nice breakfast, and pack up the car – if we can get everything into it, that is – and head back to the hangar. I want to make sure that there's nothing surprising for Dom to come back to – you know what a grouch he can be about paperwork and invoicing. And I'm sure you want to see String?"

"That sounds great, Cait, I'm a little, well, shopped out anyway. And somehow being in the big city doesn't give me as much of a buzz as I thought it would."

"Things between you and String going OK?" asked Cait. "Not that I want to pry or anything."

Karen confided to Cait, that she had been doing a lot of thinking. Not only about her life and what she was doing with it, but also about String and her. She told Cait that String had not really wanted to discuss their relationship. They had been dating, albeit long distance, for more than a year, and she still didn't know where she stood with him. She knew that neither one of them were seeing other people, but as to where this relationship was going, she had no idea. She didn't want to push him, thinking it best for both of them if he decided that he needed to talk to her, not the other way round. Cait agreed with her, reminding Karen briefly what had happened when she tried to confess her feelings for String. "I'm sure he is thinking about it too, Karen. And he WAS happy to see you when you arrived – remember the way the two of you almost fell down the stairs?"

The two girls giggled at the thought. "Yes, Cait, I think he does like having me around but I know he likes his own space. I'm just not sure he wants me with him all the time – what happens then? And I'm not sure I'd like to live in the cabin, cut off from the outside world – well, maybe I'm exaggerating but you know what I mean. And I'm not sure I want to be with someone who doesn't want me around all the time– well I feel like that when he leaves out telling me things!"

Cait sighed. "It's a tough one, isn't it Karen? But one thing I'm sure of, is that he likes having you around. Whether that's a long-term or a short-term thing, I don't know, but he's not the sort of fella to lead you up the garden path. He'll talk to you when he's good and ready, but I'm telling you now, he's got a good heart."

Karen hugged Cait. "Yeah. Maybe we'll just leave it at that. I'm so glad we had a chat though, it's nice to know String has friends that really understand him."

"C'mon, let's get some breakfast. I REALLY need a coffee."

**AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW**


	6. Chapter 6

Happy Birthday

By Kat Fenn

**Chapter 6 **

String opened his eyes to a vast expanse of white and a smell of hospital disinfectant. He wrinkled his nose in distaste – he much preferred the smell of fresh pine trees. Aside from the dull, throbbing pain in his right thigh, the rest of his body seemed to be relatively unharmed. Taking a deep breath, he blew it out experimentally. Nothing seemed to be amiss internally. He flexed his fingers. He could feel the needle of the IV in his right arm grating against the vein it was inserted in. Cautiously, he tried to sit up. His lower back still bothered him, but it paled in comparison to his right thigh.

He could hear the sound of footsteps coming down the passageway. "_Well, at least my hearing isn't going…yet!"_ He could hear a low murmur of voices outside his door. Raising his voice, String cleared his throat. "I AM awake, so if it's ME you're talking about you can do it in here."

The handle of his room door slowly moved downwards as a head came round the door. "Hawke? Sorry, I was just talking to your doctor. Can we come in?"

Pulling himself up against the pillows with due caution for his leg, String nodded. Marella pushed his door open and entered, followed by a figure in white whom String supposed was his doctor. "How are you doing, Mr Hawke?" he asked.

"I'll be doing a lot better if you tell me how I'M doing," growled String.

"Well, Mr Hawke, you lost a lot of blood. The initial bullet wound was quite shallow, but from what I gather you were rather, well, active for quite a while afterwards. The bullet worked itself in deeper into your leg, and in all your, well, actions, managed to tear up quite a few muscles. You're very lucky the bullet didn't hit an artery; blood loss through oozing over a long period is just as bad as blood loss through arterial pumping. We've patched up the muscles as best we can, but they do need to heal properly – so be careful moving around. No driving or flying for at least two weeks."

"So when can I go home, doc?"

"Well, it all depends on whether someone can take care of you. You'll have to keep weight off that leg."

String sighed and looked at Marella. She told him that Dom, Karen and Cait had looked in on him about an hour or so ago, and left to get some lunch. "I'm sure Dom or Cait would be more than happy to drop you at the cabin, and Karen can take care of you, if you don't want anyone else."

String muttered a string of curses under his breath. He hated being fussed over, and being unable to fend for himself without help. Even the thought of Karen's ministrations and the time they would spend together now that he was out of commission for at least two weeks didn't cheer him up that much.

Marella tried to make small talk, deciding against telling String that Archangel wanted to debrief him soonest. She had tried her darndest to keep Michael away, thinking that Michael's cool aloofness would only add fuel to Hawke's fire – and drown him in depths of melancholy. After about ten minutes of monosyllabic answers, Marella decided to give it up as a bad job. As if on cue, they heard footsteps coming down the corridor.

**AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW**

The debrief was short and relatively painless. Seeing the look on Hawke's face, Michael had kept it to the point. Satisfied that all the boxes had been ticked, Michael stood up from the chair he was sitting in. "Well, that's all I needed, thank you for your help,Hawke. Somerton couldn't help bragging about how good he was with a first aid kit. Oh, and before I forget, Happy Birthday."

String glared at him. Then thought the better of it and gave Michael a wry smile. "Thanks. I feel like I'm over the hill, you know…with these aches and pains and having to be helped with everything..."

"Hawke, you know I'm not one for giving advice, but you're still a damned fine pilot and you've got your future ahead of you. For heavens' sake, don't hide away. I'm not sure how Karen will react when she finds out how grouchy you can be."

"Well, she'll have to learn to take me as I am." The scowl was back on his face.

"C'mon, Marella, we have to get back to the office."

"Take care, Hawke, we'll see you soon."

**AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW**

String leaned back heavily into his pillows. "_Finally, some peace_!" he thought to himself. As always, his thoughts turned inwards. First he took stock of his life. "_I don't have a bad life_," he mused. "_I have Tet, and the cabin to seek refuge in, with my art and my music. And when I need company, and people to talk to about my troubles, there's Dom and there's Cait. When I need adventure, there's Airwolf. And now, I have Karen too_."

A vertical furrow appeared between his eyebrows. So what was Karen to him, exactly? He enjoyed her company when they were together, but he knew that, in reality, they had only been well, together, really, for a few months. The rest of the time they spent in totally different continents, living their own lives. Did he really have room for her in his life? Or, if it came to that, would she want him in his? They hadn't really discussed anything other than keeping each other updated with what was happening in their lives, and missing each other. Although it wasn't fair, String found himself trying to compare Karen to Gabrielle. The one that he was SURE he was in love with, before she met with her tragic end. He chewed his lower lip as he thought. He was definitely fond of Karen, and there was definitely more than a spark in their relationship, but he wasn't sure if he loved her the way he loved Gabrielle. But was that fair…to compare her to Gabrielle? They were so different. One of the things he really liked about Karen was her independence – although he was sure she liked being with him, she didn't really cling to him – she was happy enough to spend time on her own or find something to do. He did enjoy her visits and their time together, and always missed her when she wasn't there. But one thing nagged at him. He needed to know if she would understand him – what he was actually like. He didn't like the idea of having to pretend that he was happy all the time, or to keep his work for Michael completely secret. "_So maybe the answer to all this is to tell Karen about what I'm like, and tell her about Airwolf – I'm sure, knowing what she's like, she's completely freaking out anyway about how I managed to hurt myself. Then I can see for myself how she's going to react, and we can go from there_? _Besides, I AM getting older. I need to find out if she's the one_." **AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW**


	7. Chapter 7

Happy Birthday

By Kat Fenn

**Chapter 7**

Karen stood at the kitchen window, looking out. It had been String's 40th birthday yesterday.

Dom and Cait had just flown her and String back to his cabin. She had made up the couch with fresh sheets and soft pillows as Dom and Cait struggled to get String out of the Jet Ranger without jostling his leg. String had insisted on making his own way up the path and she could hear the thump of the crutches on the wooden deck in front of his front door. Tet whined and pushed his nose into her hand. "Go on, Tet, go and say hello to your father," whispered Karen. She filled the kettle and put it on to boil before taking a deep breath and stepping out into the living room.

**AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW**

String accepted the cup of coffee from Karen with a word of thanks. Cait and Dom were already sitting on the other couch in his living room, also holding cups of coffee. They wanted to leave as soon as they had settled String, and unloaded the groceries that Dom and Cait had bought for them, but Karen had insisted that they deserved at least a cup of coffee after all they had done. So they all sat, making small talk, with String answering in a most preoccupied fashion.

Draining her cup, Cait stood up. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm beat. How about a lift back to the hangar, Dom, before I fall asleep?"

Dom stood up as well. "Yeah, I think we'd better go. Karen, sweetheart, thanks for the coffee, and you know how to work the radio if you want a lift anywhere…or if you want one of us to come up here for company. Don't let him stew too long, OK?" He winked at her.

Karen walked the both of them down to the jetty. String had clumsily got to his feet to give both Dom and Cait a hug, thanking them for all their help, but had promptly sunk back down onto his couch.

"Are you going to be alright, Karen?" said Cait at the chopper, giving her a hug.

Karen took a deep breath and let it out. "Hey, I'll be fine. I may need rescuing in a day or two, but let's see what happens. Thank you so much, the both of you."

She stood and waved as the graceful Jet Ranger, with Dom at the controls, lifted off and headed away from the dock.

**AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW**

String sat on the couch, holding a glass of wine, staring into the crackling fire. Karen was curled up on the other end of the same couch, her feet on his left thigh, reading. The plates on the coffee table held the remains of cheese sandwiches which had been the only thing String felt like eating. String shifted slightly, in an effort to find a more comfortable position. Karen looked up at him. "Are you OK, String, that leg of yours hurting you? Or am I making you feel uncomfortable?"

String tore his eyes away from the fire, and turned to look at Karen. "My leg's fine," he growled. Seeing the hurt look in Karen's eyes, he immediately regretted the tone in his voice. "Karen, I think we need to talk," he said softly.

Karen bookmarked the page she was reading and put the book down. Tet started to snore, from his place in front of the fire. Ignoring Tet, Karen swung her legs off String and turned to face him. "Sure," she said, keeping her voice neutral, although she could feel herself trembling with anticipation. "What would you like to talk about, String?"

Taking a deep breath, String wet his lips. "Karen, you know that I work for Dom at Santini Air, right?"

"Yes…"

"Well, he's not the only person I work for."

"_Here we go, confession time_," thought Karen to herself.

"I also work part-time for Michael – remember him?"

"Yes, the very distinguished looking one. Always in white? Always goes around with Marella," said Karen. "I thought you guys were all just good friends."

"Michael works for a government agency. A top secret government agency, so I'm trusting you with this. Dom and I, and sometimes Caitlin, we fly a helicopter called Airwolf on missions."

"Missions? Is that how you got hurt?"

"Ummm, well…yeah…we were trying to rescue this guy from, well, these other guys. I was running back to Airwolf when I got shot."

Karen took a deep breath before replying. She thought String was still being evasive and didn't trust her. She tried to keep that out of her voice. "So this happens quite often then?"

"Well, I suppose you could say we are more or less 'on call' – when there's a mission, Michael briefs us, and asks if we accept the mission, then we go. Sometimes it's weeks between missions, sometimes it's days. A bit hard to tell."

"And you could get hurt like you did this time?"

"Errrr…yes. We carry pistols, and Airwolf herself is armed to the teeth. Machine guns, missiles, that sort of thing."

Karen's thoughts raced through her head. She did realise that String was trying to 'come clean' with her, and she wanted to encourage this 'openness', but she also wanted to tell String how concerned she was that he could end up dead so easily.

"String, I'm just going to say this. If it doesn't sound right, please just hear me out."

Karen took another deep breath. String reached out to take her right hand in his. He wasn't quite sure what she was going to say next, but he told himself he was willing to listen.

"String, you know that I care about you. I know you love flying, and that in itself is dangerous, but hey, I'm a firm believer in the fact that you go when your number is called. Whether it's sitting petting your dog in your own living room and your house collapses on your head, or if it's in some fancy helicopter with lots of guns and getting shot at, if it's your time to go, it's your time to go. I'm not sure how I feel about you taking on dangerous missions for some top-secret government agency, but I'm not really happy that you didn't trust me enough to tell me. I mean, sending me off on a shopping trip while you and Dom were being shot at? I'm not some dim-witted _poupee_*! And I suppose Cait was in on it too – that's why she kept on saying that I should trust you and didn't volunteer any information!" she paused for breath.

Taking the gap, String apologised. He told Karen that he wasn't used to trusting someone else, that even Cait was out of the loop about Airwolf until Dom was badly injured in a stunt and he needed a Flight Engineer on a mission. He tried to tell her a little more about Airwolf, to show that he wasn't being evasive, but he wasn't someone that talked a lot and this was difficult for him. Karen could see by the way that he swallowed repeatedly between sentences and the pleading look in his eyes that he was being sincere, and genuinely wanted to let her into his life, but just didn't know how to.

Eventually, the subject changed to their relationship. Karen had confessed that, much as she enjoyed his company and their physical relationship, she worried about how she would cope with him and the cabin. "Yes, I know that you can't expect someone to change for you, but I know you get moody sometimes. And let's face it, this cabin is a retreat from civilisation. I can't just up and leave when I want to go somewhere or be with other people."

String agreed with her. "That's the reason why I live here, Karen. I enjoy your company when you're here, and Cait and Dom and even Michael and Marella, but the fact of the matter is when I feel like running away from the world, all I have to do is come home. People have to make an extra effort to come to me, and if they do that, well…then they're worth the intrusion."

Karen and String talked long into the night. String also confessed, haltingly, that he wasn't sure how he felt about her. He didn't want her to think that he was being evasive, but at the same time he didn't want to give her false hope. "I hope you don't think this means that us is all about sex and nothing else," he said, trying to take her into his arms. "It just means that I don't know where this is going. I'm not the sort of guy that will promise you the sun, moon and stars just to get you into bed, you know. Do you think you can give me some time to figure this out?"

Karen reached out to cup his cheek. "String, to be perfectly honest I'm not too sure either. I really, really do like you, but I'm not sure if I can say I love you, yet. And what would I do if we were, together? I've still got my life back in Johannesburg. A life that I put on hold temporarily while I come down here to you. I still need to think about if I'm willing to give that up to come here and live with you. And before you say it, I wouldn't dream of asking you to move to Johannesburg. What would you do without Dom , Cait and Airwolf?"

String felt as if a great weight had lifted from his shoulders. He was worried that she would say the same things as Cait had, the last time the two of THEM had a talk on this couch. And he felt really badly about having broken her heart that time. At least Karen seemed to be more pragmatic about things. He did realise that he would be asking a lot of her if she moved her life, lock, stock and barrel, to California. He tried to move himself closer to her, wincing as his sore leg reminded him of the wound he had so recently sustained. "Karen, the fact that you've just told me all that, makes me think there MIGHT be a future for us. I love the fact that you're giving the both of us room to find out what it is exactly that we have. You KNOW that I'm really attracted to you, and I KNOW you're really attracted to me. And we miss each other when we're apart. Do you think you can live with that for now?"

Karen's response was to touch her lips to his. "I'm happy with that if you're happy, old man." As he opened his mouth and readied his tongue to protest, she kissed him even more deeply. String's protestations died on his lips.

_* Afrikaans derogatory slang word for a bimbo _

**AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW**


	8. Epilogue

Happy Birthday

By Kat Fenn

**Epilogue**

String picked up the satellite phone in his cabin. He punched in the familiar number and put the receiver to his ear.

"Karen speaking, hello."

"Hello, Karen! This is String."

"Hello, String. It's nice to hear your voice. So…what have you been up to? And how's your leg?"

"Ag, let's not talk about my leg. It's fine, aches a bit when it's cold. I swear I feel my age more with every new injury!"

Karen giggled at the 'Afrikaansism'. They chatted about their lives for what seemed to be like hours, her giving her news, and him his news. He sounded a bit more upbeat than the last call, when she had phoned him to tell him that she had arrived safely back in Johannesburg. She remembered that she had worried about him then, as he sounded distant and far away. But, as he had confessed to her, that was because he had missed her. And wondered if what they had said to each other was the initial rift that would tear them asunder. She had reassured him then, that their conversation had helped her understand him better.

Eventually, she said that she had to go. It was past midnight in Johannesburg and she needed to be up early for a client's project the next morning. As usual, she was reluctant to put the phone down, as he was. She got into bed and pulled the covers up past her shoulders and snuggled into her pillow. "_Good night, String_," she whispered to herself, as she turned out the lights. She still remembered the passion of their last kiss and hoped that when he arrived in Johannesburg in six months' time, that they could pick up where they left off.

String grinned to himself as he put down the phone. He was looking forward to seeing her in six months' time. "_Well, at least I don't FEEL that old anymore…when that girl jumps MY bones I feel fourteen, not forty_!"

THE END -


End file.
